Member Movie Reviews

Jefferson N. from BLAIRSVILLE, GA Reviewed on 9/28/2012...

Friday the 13th is the movie that really launched the slasher genre...And it's still fun after all these years. The movie starts with a murder of two camp counsellors in the past...Perhaps something to do with curse caused by a drowning boy. Years later, the camp is being reopened and Crystal Lake is trying to put it's bad reputation behind it. Too bad that the killings are starting again...Will anyone survive the night of terror?

This original Friday the 13th has everything that a good horror slasher needs...Terror, suspense, atmosphere...and plenty of killings. And this new edition restores some of the gory scenes that were cut out of the theatrical releaes. Although this might not be such a good thing, since they look to be cut out more because they look cheap and hurt the suspense of the movie. Still, it's neat to see. And this disk has commentaries and other great extras. If you're a Friday the 13th fan, this is the edition you need to own! The best copy floating around to date! If you're into classic slashers, you've got to see this one.

1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Jerome G. from LA CRESCENTA, CA Reviewed on 7/10/2012...

"They were warned...
They are doomed...
And on Friday the 13th, nothing can save them!"

So goes the tagline on the original movie poster from 1980.
This no-budget 'slasher' was the idea of Sean Cunningham.
Clever Indie-producer of his day, the idea was simple:
A bunch of dumb, but promiscuous college kids camp out in accursed Camp Crystal Lake,NJ.
They are then picked off, one by one, by an unknown killer. Impressed by how much money
"Halloween" had made, Cunningham kept costs low and the shooting schedule brutal, but fast. A truly shocking horror film for its day, The number 13 would prove to be their lucky number. This 'Un-Cut' and Unrated Version was only available in the UK under the Warner Bros. label (who owned the overseas distribution). Me, being a rabid FT13th fan, found a VHS version (PAL)on EBay which I had transfered to VHS. I sat down and dusted off my old VCR and watched...The 'Un-Cut' version was really not much different than the US R-rated cut. The subtle differences being that some of the murder scenes lasted a few seconds longer. Tom Savini would probably notice all the small extensions and be pleased as most of his brilliant gore FX were slashed onto Paramount's cutting room floor.All done to finally snag the marketable 'R' rating from then a very strict M.P.A.A.
The gore probably would be considered tame by today's standards and the FX are the gory 'wet' effects that were done way before CGI. Part 2 ('81) also went thru several versions (The first cut was slapped with an 'X' rating for several graphic murder scenes,most notably the couple that gets impaled while making love) This was during the Reagan Whitehouse, and go old Jack Valenti had worked alongside a President or two before heading the MPAA. Conservatives hated the violence in films so some horror films snuck thru the gate without a rating~ ("Evil Dead" and "Texas Chainsaw 2"). Fans of Kevin Bacon will particularly enjoy his death scene as its the one where most of us said, "How the f+++ did they DO that?" Spawning numerous sequels for Paramount and New Line, the best ones are 1-4. Call me old school, but its the truth.

1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Movie Reviews

Uncut

gooniemcfly | out there | 11/08/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"One of the most-repeated fandom gripes I heard at the International Horror & Sci-Fi Film Festival was directed squarely at Paramount -- they won't release the uncut DVDs of the slasher movies that they produced and/or distributed in the 1980s, even when the materials are plainly available. Well, one such complaint may be silence now -- Paramount Home Entertainment has announced new DVD and Blu-ray "Deluxe Editions" of Friday the 13th that will restore gore footage that has been missing from all US releases of the film (Warner Bros., owner of the foreign rights to the movie, has had the uncut version out for years in Europe). Both will come out on February 3, 2009.

Special features on the Deluxe Edition will include:Director Sean S. Cunningham's commentary track, Four featurettes:Fresh Cuts: New Tales from "Friday the 13th"Man Behind the Legacy: Sean S. Cunningham Friday the 13th: Special ReunionLost Tales from Camp Blood: Part 1)The trailer.

Also due out on February 3rd are Deluxe Editions of Friday the 13th Part 2 and Part 3, although both appear to be the theatrical versions. Part 2 will also be heavy with special features -- five featurettes (Inside Crystal Lake Memories, Horror Convention, Slasher Films: Going for the Jugular, Jason Forever, and Lost Tales from Camp Blood - Part 2), a Jason trivia text track, and a trailer. Part 3 will feature both the regular 2D version, as well as (for the first time ever on DVD) 3D version, complete with a pair of 3D glasses. It will also feature the theatrical trailer.

There will be about 10 seconds of extra footage added into this unrated edition.

The extended death scenes in Friday the 13th part 1 include:Annie's extended death scene. Annie getting her throat cut.Marcie's death scene. Marcie getting an axe to the head. Jack's (Kevin Bacon) extended death scene by arrow through the throat.Mrs. Voorhees's death scene.

"

Paramount fails this series again, as expected

T. Whyle | coraopolis, pa United States | 02/08/2009

(2 out of 5 stars)

"a few months ago when i heard paramount was releasing friday the 13th UNCUT for the first time in the US on blu-ray, i thought for the first time they had come to their senses and were going to finally give us a good release of this movie...man, was i wrong!!

first of all, let's look at this new revamped cover art. it looks like it was made by a high school student using photoshop for the first time. the arms are not proportionate to each other and the forearm of the one holding the knife looks deformed. i don't know what's up with the squiggly line that makes up the right leg under 'uncut'--i think it was supposed to look like creases in the pants, but it doesn't. it looks like bad photoshop clone-stamping. basically, it's amateur work from a professional company. i can't believe they wouldn't touch it up some before releasing it to the masses.

second, the movie is ZOOMED IN. normally i wouldn't notice something like this, but they've cut out like half the shot from previous releases...'Friday the 13th' in the opening credits actually get's cropped off at the top. i compared this to the previous paramount DVD release and Warner's uncut overseas DVD, and they both have a significant margin above the name. you notice it other places too...when the couple at the beginning is flattening out the blanket on the floor--completely cut out of the shot, when you could see it before. marcy's buttcrack when she's sitting on the bed in her panties with K.Bacon, completely cut out of the shot, when you could see it before....i always loved that buttcrack shot as a kid!! now it's gone!!!! if you grew up with this movie like i did, you'll definitely notice it throughout the movie...every shot is right up in the actors's faces when you knew that before you were seeing clear down past their shoulders.

as for extras, there's a few cool interviews, but most of it is recycled from previous releases.

'LOST TALES FROM CAMP BLOOD' is the worst piece of crap anyone's ever created! it's a mini-movie (filmed recently, so in no way pertains to a release of the original F13th). a couple is awakened by an intruder, so one at a time, they go downstairs and call people's names for about 5 minutes. then they die gruesome deaths at the hand of some bald dude who looks nothing like jason. all this while the score of the original movie plays in the background. I HATED THIS. apparently this is all paramount thinks a F13th movie is...they must have missed the fact that F13th required creativity, talent, a script, and good filmmaking.

all in all, the only thing they got right is they finally released it uncut. everything else is wrong and a step down from previous releases. the hi-def picture was okay but i was fairly unimpressed...probably because all i could think about was how weird it looks zoomed in like that. if it were zoomed out to its true ratio, it would have made the picture look clearer and less grainy.

paramount is a disgrace to F13th. they always disappoint me beyond my expectations."

The Gold Standard

G. Garner | vicksburg,ms | 07/30/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've already recorded my thoughts on the original Friday the 13th. I think it's among the top two or three greatest slasher films ever made. It has a kind of 'Blair Witch Project' feel about it, as you never see who or what you are dealing with until very close to the end. This creates an aura of dread, as well as a nearly tangible feeling that these characters are pretty much doomed.

I don't waste too much time mincing words about such matters-to me, this is a great movie. Not just a great slasher film, but a great film, by ANY standards. And it continues to grow on me. By now, I've seen it around 100 times, but I continue to like it better over time.

One word of caution, though. They refer to it as 'uncut',as if this is a big deal. I expected there to be major differences, such as reinserted deleted scenes or something of that nature. There isn't. So don't expect to get anything radically different than what you've had in the past. In fact, the major difference-the death scene of Kevin Bacon-looked better BEFORE. Some things get cut for a reason.

But the picture and sound quality are outstanding. The other special features are okay. But if you are satisfied with the version you have at present, there is no overwhelming reason to replace your old dvd with this one.

A lot has been said about this being a graphically violent film. That may be the case, up to a point. But I believe that it's often what you DON'T see that most powerfully affects your imagination. And that's where this movie really sets itself apart. The killer is hardly ever shown, up until the final twenty minutes,but their presense hovers ominously and continually over the entire movie.

For example, you could consider the scene where the girl is brushing her teeth at the sink. Off to her far left, we see a shower curtain shift a couple of inches. We, as the audience, realize the implications: if she goes back there, she will be killed. She,of course, is oblivious to the danger. The killer is back there, silently waiting. The movement of the shower curtain is so subtle, so understated.........yet you know full well what it means.

Most of the horror movies I have sat through, even taken in their entirety, simply do not compare with that brief, seemingly trivial scene. Mystery, dread, suspense,horror, tension-all found, in abundance, in a scene that only lasts a minute or two.

I regard this as a masterpiece."

Bought it for the extras

Jett Rink | Beverly Hills, CA | 06/22/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Movie and Blu 3.5 not remastered. Blu vs DVD...I just wanted to look over some reviews here and see if some people had my experience. I have the first DVD release of Friday the 13th. I watched the Blu Ray and The DVD in my Blu Ray player. To be honest I have new TV and was worried about the black levels. On the DVD the dark scenes are dark/black and no grain, the Blu Ray the whole copy of the movie was lighter to me. The dark scenes were not totally dark and I could see quite a bit of grain and light spots. That said the other scenes were much more clear on the Blu Ray and popped. I could even see The No Parking between 10Am and 2pm sign clearly where on the DVD upscaled it is blurry. The scenes with light were superb. Also, I noticed at the end one of the boats clearly had a 29 on it. On my DVD copy it is so dark you can barely see the 29. Honestly the dark scenes I prefer on the DVD, but you get more details with this copy. I bought this for the special fetures and to see the uncut version. If you already have the special features and don't care about being able to see such small details there is probably no harm in sticking with what you have. On Blu the only death scene worth it is Kevin Bacon. I just wanted it known looking at this it obviously is a complete different master and lighter than the first realesed DVD. Did anyone else notice that? I am sure this is more how it looked when it was released. Worth it for me but a double edged sword. It would be nice if it were remastered."